Mrs. Chen Has Arrived

"Dear God, surely You wouldn't be so unfair, would You?"

Lin Qingwan murmured to herself.

She clasped her hands together, praying fervently in her heart: Please, don't let Mrs. Chen's face be healed. Anything but that.

As long as Mrs. Chen's face didn't recover, no one would believe that Jiang Yutong's skincare line wasn't responsible for disfiguring them.

If those skincare products failed to sell, there was no way Jiang Yutong's company could ever get off the ground.

After finishing her prayer, Lin Qingwan picked up her phone, refreshing her Weibo feed every few seconds.

Meanwhile, at the grand hotel banquet.

Almost all the wealthy socialites in attendance were wearing veils or masks.

Only a select few—those who had started using the "Supreme Series" skincare line late and had only applied it for a day or two—had managed to stop in time. Their faces hadn't been too heavily affected, requiring only a layer of makeup to conceal the damage.

There were even some men wearing masks.

The wealthy matrons were seething with indignation. "I have really been screwed over by Lin Qingwan. In the beginning, the products worked so well that I used them every single day. As soon as I heard the news, I stopped using anything from her company."

"And the result!" one lady exclaimed, her face filled with rage. "My face still started turning red, breaking out, and rotting."

However, her condition wasn't nearly as severe as Mrs. Chen's.

Who could have imagined that simply using some skincare products would end in disfigurement?

"Exactly, me too." Another socialite spoke up, tears welling in her eyes and her rims red. "Before this, my husband used to come home every night to be with me; we slept in the same bed. But ever since my face started having problems, he constantly finds excuses not to come home. I can see the revulsion written all over his face."

If things continued like this, her husband would undoubtedly start seeing other women.

"Didn't Jiang Yutong's company claim they had developed an ointment to treat our faces? Do you think it will actually work?" one of the ladies asked.

Ever since her skin issues began, she had consulted various doctors.

Without exception, they all said there was nothing they could do. The most they could offer was to help the wounds scab over, but that would leave deep, hideous scars.

None of the women dared to undergo such treatment.

They were terrified that if they did, even if Jiang Yutong's ointment turned out to be effective, it would no longer work on their treated skin.

"Didn't Mrs. Chen already use that ointment? We'll see how her face has recovered in a bit. If it's good, we'll go use their ointment and skincare products. If it's not, we won't buy anything."

"Right, right, that's exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if Mrs. Chen will even attend this banquet."

"I think you shouldn't get your hopes up too high. Our faces have become like this; how could they possibly heal completely?"

Hearing this, the group of wealthy ladies began to look crestfallen.

Indeed, there wasn't much hope.

However, the ointment from Jiang Yutong's company was the last lifeline they could grasp.

Because of that, they had pinned an enormous amount of hope on it.

If the company's ointment didn't work, their faces would likely never recover in this lifetime...

Time ticked by slowly.

Mrs. Chen still hadn't appeared. Looking toward the entrance, the ladies began to grow uneasy.

"The banquet is about to start. Why hasn't Mrs. Chen arrived yet? Don't tell me her face hasn't healed, so she's too afraid to show up?"

"I think so too. Is my face really beyond saving?" The despair in the woman's voice was palpable.

"Don't panic. Maybe Mrs. Chen just got held up by something."

Although she said this, a strong sense of unease welled up in her heart as well.

The banquet's hostess, Mrs. Fang, was also anxiously awaiting Mrs. Chen's arrival.

Her birthday banquets had always been low-key affairs, never extravagant.

This time, specifically to witness the effects of the ointment, she had invited the entire upper crust of society to her birthday party. Of course, her primary target was Mrs. Chen.

Mrs. Fang had given specific instructions to the hotel staff guarding the door.

"If Mrs. Chen arrives, remember to notify me immediately."

"Yes, ma'am," the staff responded respectfully.

With that, Mrs. Fang returned to the main banquet hall.

There was now only one minute left before the banquet was scheduled to begin.

The wealthy socialites had lost almost all hope that Mrs. Chen would show up.

"Mrs. Chen has always been very punctual. She's about to be late and still isn't here. It looks like her face hasn't recovered, so she doesn't dare appear at the banquet."

"Isn't this the end, then? My face can't be saved."

"Mrs. Chen, please, I beg you. You have to appear in this final minute."

Some of the ladies even clasped their hands together, praying silently in their hearts.

"Mrs. Fang."

A hotel staff member ran into the room.

Mrs. Fang's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she hurried over to ask, "Is Mrs. Chen here?"

"Yes. She just showed us her invitation and should be appearing in the banquet hall any moment. By the way, she also brought two reporters with her," the staff member replied.

"That's wonderful!"

Mrs. Fang couldn't hide the excitement on her face.

"If Mrs. Chen is showing up, it seems Jiang Yutong's ointment really worked."

If she were still sporting that terrifying, rotting face, Mrs. Chen certainly wouldn't be attending the banquet.

Especially not with reporters in tow.

When the other ladies heard the staff member's words, a wave of excitement rushed through them as well.

Mrs. Fang excitedly walked toward the entrance.

The two reporters followed behind Mrs. Chen, looking around curiously.

They rarely had the opportunity to report on such high-specification banquets within the elite circle.

They intended to cherish this opportunity and take plenty of photos of important figures.

"I'll have to trouble you to take good photos later and report everything truthfully," Mrs. Chen said.

Since she was helping Jiang Yutong's company promote their skincare products, she had to ensure the spectacle was grand enough to maximize the promotional effect.

It was the first time Mrs. Chen had put so much effort into doing something for someone else.

She knew very well that Jiang Yutong and her partners had sent her the products to use her for publicity, but Mrs. Chen was being used willingly.

Furthermore, Jiang Yutong was a member of the Jiang family; getting on her good side was never a mistake.

As soon as Mrs. Chen stepped into the banquet hall, she was stared at intently by all the wealthy ladies, their gazes burning with intensity.

Mrs. Fang also came face-to-face with her.

She looked at the veiled Mrs. Chen before her. The familiar brows and eyes, the style of dress...

Could this be Mrs. Chen?

Considering the possibility, Mrs. Fang's expression stiffened slightly. "Are you... Mrs. Chen?"